I’m delighted to have something good to say. This morning Debra and I got to spend some time at school with RR and finally got a glimpse of the kind of learning we’d hoped to see from the start. She led us to a wall of letters and showed us how she could trace each one with a finger while sounding it out.

We got a glimpse of this last night at dinner when she started spouting things like muh-muh-mama and a-a-apple. Debra tried holding up items and asking things like, “which one starts with cuh-cuh-cuh?” “CUP!” RR shouted. “CUP cuh-cuh-cup C!” The happiness made it hard to breathe for a second. Finally.

After three weeks of tantrums – and let’s be honest, they were more like uncontrollable screaming fits – she is finally sleeping through the night again. She is polite again. She can be reasoned with. She’s not taking swings at us and falling apart at the slightest suggestion (even her own). It’s like she kicked out the changeling living in our house.

We knew the change in school and (now ceased) potty training effort was taking its toll but I hadn’t realized how drastically it was affecting my own mood and capacity for reason. I’ve felt (and probably acted) more judgmental than usual. Felt suspended on a wire. Felt like I had a hair trigger. This hasn’t been helped by a swift and heavy change in my workload as a new university semester starts.

This weekend is our Pride festival and I’m looking forward to it. The weather is cooling down. Things are looking brighter.

I’m so glad things are looking better! And I have to say that I was rather relieved to hear that the school is allowing RR back into diapers. I have total faith that she’ll get there eventually, but I think she’s d**n well going to do it on her own terms. (As someone who has a distinct streak of that in her own personality, I can sympathize.)